I’ve been known to start (and plant) as many as twenty-five varieties of tomato, so I’m feeling very restrained this year at sixteen.
Reversing my earlier paradigm, I planted these in 4-packs because I couldn’t figure out how to get all the plants I needed into one flat using soil blocks. So, we’ll see how the soil blocks do for onions, peppers, and eggplant, and maybe make a fuller transition next year.
I still need to start a few spring cabbages, Prezzemolo Italian parsley, and broccoli–those sound like good soil block candidates.
Ten varieties had to share 4-packs with two plants apiece, and 6 varieties got their own 4-pack. If you parse that out, you’ll realize that leaves one 4-pack empty–but it’s not. That one is planted with Aunt Molly’s Ground Cherry. When my friend Kelly planted them a couple of years ago, I became addicted to their warm, sweet honeyed pineapple flavor.
Without further ado, this year’s tomatoes varieties:
Coyote Cherry/Cherry Roma
Polish Linguisa/Gilbertie
Principe Borghese/Millet’s Dakota
Sungold Cherry/Green Zebra
Pruden’s Purple/Rose
Cuore di Bue
San Marzano Lampadina
Amish Paste
Old Pink Plum
Stupice
Japanese Trifele Black
Many of these are paste, plum, or sauce-type varieties–while a vine-ripened summer tomato is an immeasurable bliss, it is an all-too fleeting pleasure. I want a bounty for my canning jars, and I don’t want to be cooking down batches of sauce for half a day to fill them.
I’m planning on putting the three cherry tomato varieties in the raised beds–one plant in each. The extra plant of each variety will be a back up, or it’ll go in the lower gardens if there’s room.
Speaking of raised beds and lower gardens, it might be a good idea to order a load of soil and schedule someone to till, or else there won’t be anyplace to put any of these plants! I also need to get hold of Moose Tubers to make sure my potatoes come to the right address–as of now, I think they’re shipping to Ortonville.
And with all these lovely warm temperatures, the potatoes ought to be getting in the ground very soon. Wish I was planting some lovely Hakurei turnips and radishes, some arugula and salad mix right now! Soon…
Big Stone Bounty 